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Bu Yunchaokete, lucky loser, stuns Rafael Jodar at US Open
Yunchaokete Bu, of China, hits the ball during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)
NEW YORK–China’s Bu Yunchaokete produced one of the US Open’s most surprising results so far on Wednesday, drubbing rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar in straight sets.
Bu, ranked 124th, needed less than two hours to take down 12th-seeded Jodar, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 in one of the most one-sided scorelines of this year’s championships.
A native of Xinjiang, Bu lost in the final round of qualifying, but was granted a spot as a “lucky loser” when Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew with an injury.
Bu had finished his warmup Tuesday morning ahead of a planned flight that evening when he found out he could play. Now he’s in the second round against American Michael Zheng, a two-time US collegiate champion.
“It’s nothing you can lose with a lucky loser,” Bu said after the match, describing his approach as “enjoy the crowd and enjoy the court and play one of the best players in this year.”
Rafael Jodar, of Spain, returns the ball to Bu Yunchaokete, of China, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
The victory over Jodar was Bu’s first at the Grand Slam level after he went winless in six previous tries.
“If I have to win my first match like this, I’m okay with the loss five, six times before,” he said. “So yeah, that’s great.”
He has spent much of 2026 in Challenger tournaments, a lower level from the main ATP Tour, winning two such events, both on grass.
Bu said he has worked to add more aggressive play to his game after originally developing a heavy-hitting style suited to clay courts after a period training in Spain.
Bu described Britain’s Andy Murray as a tennis hero but also expressed admiration for Li Na, the first Chinese player to win Grand Slam singles titles.
“We have a lot great player in women’s side, but men’s side is not that much,” said Bu, who reached a career high ranking of 64th.
For Jodar, the match was a disappointing US Open debut in a year that began with the 19-year-old ranked 165th.
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“He played better than me, and that’s the reason why he won today,” Jodar said in a brief availability after the match.
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